The Other Twin
by goldendaze
Summary: Rory's twin sister Victoria, Tori, Hayden comes back to Connecticut. Being raised by Christopher, Tori is very different than Rory. How would this difference change the story?
1. The Beginning

**A/N: Hi! This is my first attempt at writing fanfiction after reading it for so many years. The start of this story might be a little slow but I hope you give it a chance! All feedback is welcome. I hope you enjoy!**

* * *

"What else do we need-" The roaring of a motorcycle cut Lorelei off as it passed by her and Rory. That was odd. Who in Stars Hollow even had a motorcycle?

"That's a cool bike, is it a Harley?" Rory spoke.

"A cool bike? That is a 200 Indian, 80 horsepower, 5 speed close ratio Andrews transmission" Lorelei responded. She watched as the bike made a circle around the square. She could see that there were two figures on the bike. The rider pulled the bike into a spot a little behind where they were walking. Lorelei turned her head so she wouldn't be caught staring.

"How did you know that?" Rory asks incredulously.

Before Lorelei could response she was cut off by a shout, "Take your shirt off!"

She turned to face the driver of the bike as he got off. The person behind him laughed out a "Dad!" as she removed her helmet. It took a moment for her and Rory to recognize the people on the bike

"Dad! Tori! What are you doing here!" Rory said as she ran over to them. She threw her arms around Christopher and he twirled her around. Lorelei could barely believe her eyes. It felt like it'd been so long since she'd seen her youngest daughter, and the father of her children. As Rory greeted them she took a good look at her other daughter, Victoria.

Victoria, named from Lorelei's own middle name and otherwise known as "Tori," was the younger twin and while they were identical, it was fairly easy to tell them apart, especially right now. Tori was dressed in blue skinny jeans, a white T-shirt, black boots, and a black leather jacket. Her hair fell in messy waves down her back and the color faded from the same brown color as Rory's to a blonder color.

As Chris and Rory hugged, Tori walked towards where she was standing. She met her halfway, wrapping her arms around her and squeezing tight. It had been too long. Sometimes she still couldn't believe the arrangement she had agreed to regarding her children. While she had custody of Rory, Christopher had custody of Victoria.

Chris released Rory from the hug, and locked eyes with Tori. Lorelei eyed them warily, wondering what was happening. Tori spoke up, "Straub and Francine are back in Hartford so we came by for a visit, and while we're here we of course had to come see you."

Chis took over, "We were driving to your house when we passed you here." When Chris moved back from Rory, Victoria stepped forward and hugged Rory. "Is there anywhere to stay around here?" Chris continued

"Really, you're staying?" Rory asked, excited.

"Yeah we'd like to stay at least for the night. We could drive back to Hartford but I figured the twins would like some time together."

"You can stay with us!" Lorelei turned to look at Rory. That certainly hadn't been the first thought that came to mind. She didn't mind Tori staying over but it had been awhile since she'd seen Chris and she didn't quite know how to feel.

Chris glanced at her from the corner of his eye and could probably read the look on her face. "No it's okay we can get a room at an inn."

"Mom, please?" Rory turned hopeful eyes to her.

She sighed, realizing this wasn't an argument worth having. "It's fine Chris of course we're happy to have you and Tori stay with us. We can head back to the house for you to drop your stuff off and then we'll get some food."

"If you're sure it's okay then great. Hey, Rory, you want a ride back to the house?" Chris asked, holding the helmet out to Rory. He glanced at Lorelei as he asked though, checking to make sure it was okay. Rory also turned to face her. She couldn't really say anything to the contrary, considering Tori had just been riding it and it wouldn't seem fair if she said no.

She nodded her head, and Rory took the cue and jumped onto the bike. "Be safe!" she yelled after them. She turned back to Tori, smiling as she did so. "Wow, I can't believe you're here. I've missed you, kid" She wrapped an arm around her shoulders, starting to lead her in the direction of the house. It was a short walk back of only five minutes.

"I've missed you too, Mom." Tori smiled at her

She often regretted that she split custody between her two daughters, but at the time it had been the best option. The girls had only been a year old and she couldn't stand staying at her parents' house any longer, so when Chris offered to take one of the girls to make it easier for her, she jumped at the chance.

When she was able to support herself and Rory, she had offered to have Tori come live with them too, but both Chris and Tori had declined. While her and Rory were a team, the same was true of Chris and Tori. She understood but at the same time couldn't help but wonder how different life would have been and how much she was missing of her daughter's life.

* * *

After Chris and Tori dropped their stuff off at the house, they headed back into town to have Luke's for dinner. Rory had talked non-stop on the walk filing the silence as they got accustomed to being together again.

"And you guys will get to meet Dean, you'll love him. I'm so excited." Rory was saying as they entered Luke's.

"And who is this Dean?" Chris asked, ribbing her lightly.

Tori answered, in a lightly singing tone, "Her boyfriend."

"Wow, a boyfriend! Since when? Of course we want to meet this guy."

"Yes he's my boyfriends. It's only been a couple of months. You sound surprised, I thought Tori's had boyfriends before?"

Tori laughed loudly, "No I've never had somebody I'd call my boyfriend, I date mostly." Rory tilted her head a little confused, but Tori changed the subject before Rory could ask any questions. "How's Chilton been? I know we've emailed but it's not the same as hearing about it in person."

As Rory launched into an answer on the happening of Chilton, Luke came over to take their order. He smiled when he saw Tori, laying a hand on her shoulder. Tori turned and smiled up at him. Luke knew Tori from the times she had visited previously.

"Luke, long time no see! How's the diner been. Oh, Luke, this is my dad, Christopher, I don't think you've met before. Dad, he makes the best coffee." Luke nodded reaching over to shake Chris's hand.

"The diner's the same as ever. Nice to meet you Christopher. It's good seeing you again Tori, how's school been?"

"Also the same as ever. Just stopping by Stars Hollow for a visit." They placed their orders and turned back to the conversation.

Lorelei tried not to linger on the question of Tori's schooling. The previous year, Tori had chosen to go to boarding school in London, while Chris was traveling for the year, instead of coming to live with them. She couldn't help but wonder what that said about their relationship. While she talked to Tori fairly often, by either email or phone, it was nowhere near her relationship with Rory.

Lorelei tried to turn her attention back to the table. It was amazing and like a dream to see her twins together with Chris.

As they walked back into the house, Tori and Rory headed to her room to start setting up for bed. Chris turned to help Lorelei spread some blankets and pillows over the couch where he would be staying.

Lorelei looked over at him expectantly. "Christopher, what are you really doing here."

He sighed. "Okay, right into it. I've been thinking of moving closer. I know I dropped the ball with Rory. You've been so good, with both of them. I want to be there for Rory more. I look at Tori and see how much she's grown and I feel so bad for missing it with Rory. I know you guys have your own thing going but I think it'd be good to be closer."

It was a nice thought but she wasn't going to believe it until she'd seen it. It was true that he had really stepped up with Tori, but his relationship with Rory truly wasn't the best. Chris could be immature and forgetful, even if he didn't mean anything by it.

"The real reason we're here is because Tori is going to be staying with my parents as I finish up a job in California and pack up our stuff. We decided it would be easier to have her stay with my parents as I wrap stuff up. Business is good so I'll be getting a job closer to here, maybe not Hartford but nowhere near as far as California."

Lorelei wanted to believe it but she knew Chris, if it sounded too good to be true it usually was. "That's great Chris, and I've always left that door open for you to have a relationship with Rory."

"I know, and you've been so good to us. Today, looking at the girls together, it made me think of when they were babies and we could hardly tell them apart."

That was true. The girls were truly identical when they were younger, look-wise. But as they grew older and grew apart, it was easier to tell twin from twin, at least to Lorelei.

"Yeah," Lorelei smiled, "they're so different now. You've done a great job with Tori."

"Well she's a great kid so she makes it easy. And you've done amazing with Rory."

Tori was the younger twin, but something about her made her seem older. She was the wilder of the two. Tori was the more sociable, confident twin, able to fit into any situation with ease. Her hair hung loose down her back, her nails were painted red, and her eyeliner was winged.

Rory was the older twin but she seemed younger because of her innocence. Rory's style was a little on the safer side and she normally wore her hair at least part-way up or pulled back. Rory loved school and had clear goals for what she wanted in life. She didn't have the easiest time in new social situations, being a fairly quiet girl, but she had a life-long best friend in Lane.

The differences between them could be chalked up to their different environments. While she took Rory away from the upper-class world she and Chris had been raised in, Chris had allowed his parents to be closer to Tori than Lorelei would have been comfortable with for Rory. Tori had always gone to private school because the Hayden's insisted on it and paid her tuition.

Chris and Tori had moved away from Hartford when she was about 10, and at the time she had been devastated, but that had been the arrangement. Tori had switched school fairly often as Chris travelled for work.

Lorelei had been surprised when Chris started working in marketing but he made a good living and was able to support Tori. He had offered to help pay for things for Rory, but she couldn't accept money from him, it would have been too weird.

"Well one thing is for sure, we make some good kids." They smiled at each other. Even after all this time, they were still friends and co-parents.

"Goodnight, Christopher." Lorelei kissed his cheek and made her way upstairs, turning back one last time to glance at Chris before she continued. She could hear the twins laughing in Rory's room and she couldn't help but wonder if this time things would be different.


	2. The Dinner

**A/N at the end. Enjoy!**

* * *

"I can't believe you made us get up so early." Tori complained as she walked with Rory and her dad the next morning. It had been nice to spend the night with her twin, and they stayed mostly on light topics the night before. While they emailed throughout the week it wasn't the same as being together. And while they were very different, Rory was still her sister, her twin.

"It's only eight," Rory pointed out. "Plus I already told Dean that I would stop by to see his softball game and it should be ending pretty soon."

Tori looked out to the field and recognized a couple of the people on the field, but couldn't narrow it down enough to figure out which one could be her sister's boyfriend. "Which one is Dean?"

Rory turned to look too. "He's the one holding the bat." The guy in question was tall, she could see that much from here. "It looks like they're taking a timeout. Dean!" Rory shouted to get his attention.

Dean turned his head, catching sight of Rory. His brown hair was parted over his forehead and he smiled at Rory as he approached them.

"Dean, this is my dad and my sister, Tori."

Tori watched Dean do a double take when he was able to get a good look at her, turning his head back to face Rory. Tori understood the feeling herself. Sometimes looking at Rory was like looking into a fun house mirror, or an alternate universe where they had been raised together and would have been truly identical.

"Wow, Rory told me she had a twin but I didn't expect you two to look so similar… but also so different?" Dean scrunched his face slightly, like he was asking himself what he had just said.

"Well we are identical twins," Tori raised a brow, "What did you think I would look like?"

Her dad pinched her arm, but smiled. "It's nice to meet you, Dean." He reached over and shook his hand.

"My dad's never really been to Stars Hollow so I'm going to show him around. Do you want to come?" Rory asked him.

"Sorry I told my mom I would be home after the game. I promised Clara I would take her to the park today." He said apologetically

"That's okay. I'll talk to you later. Have fun with Clara." Rory leaned up to give Dean a quick kiss goodbye. It was a small peck considering her dad was standing right next to them. After, Dean turned and headed back onto the field.

"So that's a Dean." Her dad said. Tori and Chris locked eyes and she had to stop herself from laughing.

"That's a Dean," Her sister repeated back.

"He's cute. Very tall." Tori told her sister. He was cute, but definitely not her type of guy. She could understand how her sister could like him though.

Their group turned to make their way away from the park. "So what are your plans for the day?" Tori asked Rory. Tori would be heading to the Independence Inn to spend some time with Mom, so that Rory and Dad could have their own time together.

"I'm going to give him the grand tour. We'll walk through the town square, by Miss Patties, show him some of the shops. Maybe we'll stop by Lane's too."

"Sounds like a plan. I'm gonna head to the Inn. We're all meeting at Luke's for lunch right?" Lorelei had gone to the Inn earlier to get some things done before Tori got there. While Rory had the past two days off from school, Mom still had to work.

"Yeah. Have fun with Mom!" They split at the intersection to go their separate ways.

* * *

Lorelei swung the door open to the kitchen. She needed coffee. And to talk to Sookie. When she entered she was surprised to hear Sookie and Michel laughing together. Those two were more likely to argue than to laugh together.

"And what is going on here? I can't remember the last time you two shared a pleasant moment." This, however, was the wrong thing to say as it set them off, their laughter quickly dying and the usual bickering taking its place.

"No, wait, I'm sorry I didn't mean to make you stop. Go back to the laughing." She waved her arms to accentuate her point but it was too late, Michel storming out through the door. She sighed, turning to the coffee machine and grabbing a cup.

"So…" Sookie began, "anything going on at home that you'd like to tell me about."

"I get the feeling you don't mean the fact that I got a new toaster."

"No, about the man you had over." Sookie giggled.

"Tori is here with her dad. And how did you even know about him?" She replied.

"Tori is here! Is she coming by? And you know how this town is. News travels fast. What's it like having him around?" Sookie finished dicing some tomatoes and slid them into a pot.

"Yeah Tori's coming, she should be here soon." She leaned against the table in front of her, wondering how to reply. "And well, I don't really know how I feel. It's a little weird but… I haven't seen him since last Christmas, we hear from him maybe once a week - maybe. He shows up here out of the blue, no call, and I think, "Am I supposed to be mad?" but then, he smiles at me, and it's Christopher."

Sookie handed her a cookie and motioned for her to keep talking.

"I don't know what to think. No matter how many years go by or how long I don't see him, when I do it's always just… Christopher. And everything is so complicated, with us and with the girls. But it's Chris. This man knows all my secrets, all my bad-girl moments happened with him, everything was with Christopher."

Sookie stopped stirring the pot to focus on her. "So do you think you two will…" Sookie trailed off, not finishing the thought.

"No." She said immediately, but even she could hear the uncertainty in her voice.

Sookie looked at her. "Sure, that was convincing."

"I don't know. He says he wants to be around more. Spend more time with Rory. I don't know. I think I was always waiting for the day we could all be together again, but maybe the chance has passed. And I don't know what the girls are thinking about me and Chris. I can't just jump right into anything, but, it's Christopher."

Before Sookie could say anything in response, the kitchen door swung open and Tori stepped through.

"Tori!" Sookie gasped. "Oh I love your hair. You look so grown up, you have to stop that. Are you hungry? I know, I have some chocolate chip cookies here. And Coffee! I'll give you some coffee. It's so good to see you." Sookie hugged Tori before going to collect some cookies from across the kitchen.

Tori smiled, amused. "Thanks Sookie, and yes to the coffee. Rory made us get up at seven so we could go see Dean play softball. And I said it before but thanks again for sending me that fettuccine alfredo recipe. It was amazing."

_Fettuccine alfredo recipe_, Lorelei wondered to herself. She didn't know that Tori had been talking to Sookie. She decided to ask about it later. "And what did you think of Dean?"

"We only saw him for a second. He seemed nice. Kind of cute. What do you think of Dean?"

Lorelei turned to get Tori a cup of coffee. "He's a good kid. He's really good to Rory." Lorelei thought Dean was good for Rory. He was a nice kid, he seemed trustworthy, and he really liked Rory. She couldn't imagine a better first boyfriend for her kid.

Sookie returned with the cookies, putting a bag of them into Tori's hands. "I'm glad you liked the pasta. It seemed like something you would like. What are you two doing today?"

"Me and Tori are going to spend some time here at the inn and then meet up with Rory and Chris for lunch."

"Okay well you two have fun," Sookie smiled at them, "Let me know if you need anything."

* * *

"So your dad told me you guys are going to be moving closer. And that your going to be staying with your grandparents until the end of the school year." Lorelei spoke as they took a walk around the inn.

Tori nodded her head. "Yeah I figured it would be more convenient to stay with my grandparents while Dad finished things up in California. Better to be out of the way."

"You know, you are more than welcome to stay with us if you don't want to stay with your grandparents." Lorelei said. Tori carefully stepped over a puddle, not wanting to get her boots dirty.

She sighed internally. She didn't want to upset her mother but she had her reasons for not wanting to move in. She'd never lived full-time with her mom and Rory, and she didn't know how it would be to be so close to them. Plus the house was too small for the three of them. She'd also grown closer to her grandparents in the past year, so she didn't mind living with them. And she didn't want her dad to think she was choosing her mom over him. This would only be temporary.

She didn't know how to put what she really felt into words though, so she just told her mom, "I know, but I think it would be easier for everyone if I stayed with my grandparents. They really aren't that bad so I don't mind. And I don't want to make Rory share her room with me full time. I'm sure you'll see me a lot though."

"Okay, if you're sure, and you can always change your mind. How do you feel about moving back east?"

"It's good. It will be nice to be closer to family. Dad hasn't quite decided where he wants to move to next but it probably won't be too far."

"How's his job really going? He said he wanted to be around more, for Rory." Lorelei asked, fishing for more information.

Her mom never seemed to believe that Chris had actually grown up. He had a steady job, but at times to Tori, it seemed like she was waiting for him to fail.

She was able to recognize her dads faults, but he was human. She knew that he hadn't been the best father to Rory, but she thought he did a great job with her. She tried to pick up the slack for her dad though, always sending birthday and Christmas presents as labelled from her and dad to Rory, and having her dad talk to Rory when Tori talked to her.

"His job is good. He doesn't want to travel as much anymore, but business has been good. And yeah he wants to be closer to Rory, be able to spend more weekends together."

She didn't want to say anything more on the subject, so instead asked her mom, "What's new with you?"

Her mom looked at her, but launched into a story anyway, about a disastrous double date with her, Sookie, Jackson, and Jackson's cousin.

Tori didn't know what was going to happen in the future. It had been so long since she was close to her mom and her sister, both physically and emotionally. While she could come up with any number of topics to talk about and stories to tell, it was harder to talk about things that could be emotionally charged, like her year at boarding school, her relationship with her grandparents, or even some of the choices she'd made. For now, she just listened to her mother talk, and laughed and commented in all the right places to keep her going.

* * *

When Chris and Rory entered Luke's they found Tori and Lorelei already sat at a table laughing.

"And what is going on here?" Rory asked as they approached.

"I was just telling mom about the first time I tried surfing."

Chris remembered that story. Tori had gone to the beach with some of her friends, and they decided that Tori just had to learn how to surf. When she tried to stand on the board for the first time, a piece of seaweed wrapped around her ankle. She thought it was a fish, and jumped off her board, right into the person behind her and knocked him off his board too. Chris loved when she told that story, because of the way she laughed.

Rory laughed, "Was that the time you pushed the guy off the board?"

"Yeah." Tori's eyes locked onto the bag Rory was holding. "I see a shopping bag. What did you buy?"

"It's the Compact Oxford English Dictionary. It has every word ever recorded in the English language and its origin and earliest usage. Dad got it for me."

He watched Tori for her reaction. He knew that if Tori was given a chance to get anything, the very last thing on her list would be a dictionary. Tori just smiled, amused as she always was by her sisters antics.

"Should I leave you two alone?" Tori asked.

Lorelei took the chance to chime in. "Next time you want to get her a present, a car would probably weigh the same as that book."

Rory rolled her eyes. "Ha-ha very funny. I can't wait to look up words when we get back home. Thanks again, Dad."

"No problem kiddo, happy to get it for you." Before he could continue on, his phone rang. Lorelei pointed at a 'no phone' sign as he went to answer. He glanced around to make sure nobody was watching before answering his phone.

"Hello?"

"Christopher! I heard you were in town"

"Emily." He said, catching Lorelei's attention. "It's nice to hear from you."

"Hi Grandma!" Rory said from across the table.

"Was that Rory? Are you with her now?" Chris could hear muffled background noise.

"Yes that was Rory. I'm sitting with the girls and Lorelei right now. What can I do for you?"

"Well, I heard your parents are back in town. And you're back in town with Tori. And today is Friday so we have our regular Friday night dinner. I'm calling to ask you to join us for dinner, and I've asked your parents too. So what do you think, can you make it?"

"Dinner, tonight?" Lorelei looked up from across the table with wide eyes. Tori and Rory were also listening in. "My parents said they were going?"

"Yes I've already confirmed with your parents. So?" Lorelei was shaking her head, but he couldn't exactly say no, especially if his parents already said they were going.

"Yes that sounds very nice," _Not_. "We'll be there."

At this point Lorelei reached over and took the phone from him. "Hello, Mother."

Chris turned to Tori. "Looks like we'll be going to Friday night dinner."

* * *

Tori and Chris pulled into the driveway at the same time as Lorelei and Rory. Chris had swapped out his motorcycle for his moms car. Tori and Chris had gone back to the Hayden's before dinner in order to change into appropriate attire. While Tori could have borrowed clothes from Rory or her mom, they didn't have anything that Chris could wear.

As Tori walked to stand next to her twin she thought back to what she had told Rory before her and her dad had left to get ready. _"A lot of things are probably going to be said tonight." She had said. "Unpleasant things. Try not to let it get to you. They don't know you, and at this point they are too set in their ways to try to get to know you. It's not about you. Just remember that."_

They stood a few steps away from the door, mentally preparing themselves. Chris and Lorelei were in front and Tori and Rory behind them. "I've got to see my parents." Chris said.

Lorelei repeated the phrase. "I've got to see my parents."

She and Rory exchanged a glance. "Ladies and gentlemen, my parents, the drama king and queen of Connecticut."

She didn't know how her sister thought this night was going to be fun. She knew that Rory hadn't really listened to what she had said before, but she had wanted to give her some warning of what might happen. While she was pretty good at letting things slide off her back, and often found people's biting and sarcastic comments amusing, she knew her sister didn't feel the same way.

Finally their parents had decided it was time to go in. Lorelei led the group, but when they got to the door, Lorelei didn't ring the bell. Instead, she reached into her purse and withdrew a key. Tori knew that unlocking the door themselves wasn't a good idea, but it was too late. They were already inside, and Emily was upon them immediately.

"Oh my God. You're here." Emily said. She moved her attention from Lorelei to Chris. "Christopher, look at you!" Chris moved forward to hug her.

"Emily, as always, perfect." Tori held back a laugh. Her dad, the charmer as always.

"I am so glad to see you. I didn't hear you ring the doorbell."

Lorelei spoke as she removed her coat. "We didn't ring the doorbell."

Emily froze. "You let yourselves in?" Tori knew that wouldn't go over well. Their whole group paused.

"It's okay Mom, look, not a rapist among us." At this point Rory decided to step in to help her mother. "Is grandpa in the living room?" She asked, trying to divert the attention.

"Yes, go on in" Emily rolled her eyes. Rory went through to the living room. Emily turned back to greet Tori. "Tori, it's good to see you again." She sighed as she caught sight of Tori's hair. "Must you do this to your hair, you have such beautiful hair."

Tori didn't want to know how her grandma would react if she found out she had a navel piercing. She liked her Gilmore grandparents but she wasn't as close to them as Rory was to them, or as she was to her other grandparents. It was hard to compare their relationships though.

To her Gilmore grandparents, Rory must have seemed like everything Lorelei should have been, their second chance. Rory was a fantastic and focused student, and a rule follower at her core. Rory was a good kid, and there was little chance of following in her mother's footsteps and getting pregnant. She was quiet and she didn't get in trouble. The Gilmore's had only recently become close to Rory, when they started Friday night dinners. Prior to that, they only saw her on major holidays.

Tori's relationship with them was different. To them, she was the one they had to be careful about, lest she end up like her mother. They didn't really know Tori though, she just reminded them too much of Lorelei at that age. She liked to test her boundaries. Tori was also more involved in 'high society' than Rory was. They thought of her as what Lorelei could have been.

They were closer to Rory, and sometimes she felt like they were measuring her against her sister and she was found lacking. That was the only time she really felt that way. Her parents didn't make her feel like she was competing against her twin, and her Hayden grandparents showed no interest in knowing Rory, so they certainly weren't comparing her to her sister. If they were, they made no mention of it to her.

"It's nice to see you too Grandma. And thank you, my hair is still beautiful. Of course, I must get it from you."

Emily smiled despite herself. Tori was certainly charming, just like her father, and always had something to say. "Yes it's good to see you too. Let's go on in and join the others."

They entered the room just as Chris finished greeting Richard. "I'm better than most. Not as good as some." Richard was saying.

"And annoyed with all," Chris finished.

"Very true." Richard laughed. "I've made martini's." He handed them out to Lorelei and Chris. They settled onto the couch at each end, the twins between them. "So, Christopher, tell me how business has been."

"It's been good. Keeps me busy, always lots of work to be done, but I enjoy it."

"That's wonderful. I always knew you had it in you. You have a splash of greatness as my mother would say."

She could see Lorelei clench her jaw as her dad showered praise on Christopher. She could understand how this would be a sore spot for Lorelei. Her parents gave her endless grief about what happened all those years ago, but had nothing but good things to say about Christopher.

"How is Great Grandmother?" Tori asked. "Have you heard from her recently?" Tori had spent time with Lorelei the First when she went to school in London. Her mother got up to pour herself another martini.

"She's wonderful. I talked to her just last week. She sends her regards and hopes to talk to you soon." She could see Emily becoming tense as they talked about Richard's mom. She knew that they didn't get along.

Thankfully the doorbell rang before the subject could continue. Emily stood, "_That_ would be Straub and Francine," She went to answer the door.

Richard also stood. "It's been quite a number of years since we've seen your parents. For a time we were practically inseparable." He smiled, a little wistfully, before moving to the entrance way.

At this point, Rory became nervous. "This is weird, these are my other grandparents. I don't even know them. What do I call them."

"Call them what I call them," Chris started, "as-" Lorelei cut him off before he could finish.

"Just call them Straub and Francine, or Mr. and Mrs. Hayden." She hesitated. "Sir and ma'am? Maybe don't call them anything."

"Mr. and Mrs. Hayden would probably be your safest bet." She told Rory. Her twin had clearly gotten herself worked up now.

"Look who's here." Emily announced as she re-entered the room. They all stood as the Hayden's entered, Straub leading the way.

"Christopher." Straub reached over and shook his hand. It was a fairly lukewarm greeting, since Chris didn't have the best relationship with his father. Francine hugged Dad hello. Chris had always been closer to his mother. Francine fussed with his tie as Straub turned to Tori.

"Victoria," Her grandfather nodded to her with a slightly warmer smile. She didn't mind. Her grandfather wasn't an exceptionally warm person in general, but she knew he loved her and she had seen him fairly recently. Her grandmother also greeted her with a hug.

"Mr. and Mrs. Hayden, long time no see." Mom spoke.

"Lorelei." They surveyed her with cool eyes, looking her up and down. "You look well." Francine said.

"Oh, I am, thanks. Um, you remember Rory. You haven't seen her in a while." Lorelei placed a hand on Rory's back.

"Yes, I believe the last time we saw her she was beginning to speak in complete sentences."

"So not for two years then." Her mother jumped in. There was a pregnant pause. Straub cleared his throat. Her mom was feeling the pressure. "She's obviously been talking a long time. I was just" she breathed in, loud in the quiet room, "Making a joke."

"I see you haven't changed, Lorelei." Straub's dry tone cut the silence.

"Rory. Hello." Francine turned to Rory.

"Hi." Rory gave a swift, awkward smile. And then, she curtsied.

Tori wished she could have hit her head on a wall. _What was Rory thinking?_ She knew her grandparents wouldn't be impressed. Rory's smile quickly faded.

"Straub, Francine, how about a martini?"

"Please." Martini glasses were passed around as everyone settled into their seats. She was tempted to ask for a martini, half to actually have one and half to see what would happen. With her dad she might have gotten away with it, but she never would in this setting.

"We were just discussing Christopher's business success." Richard said. Tori wanted to sigh, there were a lot of topics that probably shouldn't be spoken of tonight. She knew there was still tension between her father and Straub over his job.

"Yes, he's been doing well for himself."

Rory cleared her throat, evidently thinking this was the correct time to speak up. "Straub and Fran..." She cleared her throat again. "Mr. and Mrs., Um. Are you enjoying your time here, um, you… two?" Rory wagged her finger.

That was physically painful to watch. She could see her grandfather's face and knew things were about to go downhill. Rory was certainly making a first impression.

"Hmm, you're sixteen?" Straub spoke. He knew she had to be since she was Tori's twin. Rory nodded, even though it was mostly rhetorical. "Dangerous age."

A current of tension ran through the room. Emily tried to move the conversation to safer territory. "Rory is a very special child. Excellent student, very bright."

"You should have a talk with her Straub, she could give you a run for your money."

"Is that so?" He looked over expectantly.

All the grandparents were watching her now. Rory froze, realizing that she was expected to say something but her mind was blank. She shifted uncomfortably. A moment of silence passed.

"Well I think my money is safe." Tori almost laughed. She probably would have, if it wasn't directed towards her twin. She decided to take pity on Rory and try to divert attention.

"Grandmother, which school will I be going to?" Tori hadn't given it much thought, but school was one of the safer topics that could be talked about tonight, at least for her.

"I registered you for Chilton, that's where Rory goes, correct?"

"Yes, thank you." Tori smiled at her. She was surprised Francine knew that, and thought it was nice that she would register her to go to the same school as her sister. It would be the first time she ever went to the same school as her twin though and she wondered what it would be like.

Her grandfather apparently wasn't ready to let the past go. "Tell me Lorelei, what have you been doing with your life?"

"Why don't we move to the dining room" Emily tried to get people moving.

"Well, Straub, I run an inn near Stars Hollow." Lorelei was stubborn and wouldn't back down from a challenge. Chris tugged at his tie.

"Really?" Straub asked.

Lorelei and Chris's voices overlapped. "Come on, Dad." "Yes, really."

"And is your life everything you hoped it would be?"

"Dinner is ready." Emily said more forcefully

"Chris, your tie, please." Francine said softly. Tori knew there was nothing she could do at this point.

"Yes. It is."

"Cause it sounds to me like you shouldn't take such a haughty tone. If you had attended a University, as your parents planned, and as we planned in vain for Christopher, you might have aspired to more than a blue collar position."

This evening would deteriorate quickly once college was brought up. Straub had never moved past Christopher not going to Princeton.

"Richard, lead us into the dining room, _now_." Emily tried again.

He continued, "And I wouldn't give a damn about you derailing your own life if you hadn't swept my son along with you."

Tori knew this had nothing to do with her. Her grandparents loved her, and they wouldn't wish she hadn't been born now since they knew her. They were just dragging up past hurts. Rory beside her however, seemed to be taking it personally. She didn't know why, since it wasn't their fault they were born.

"Rory. Tori. Go into the next room." Mom said. Tori grabbed Rory's arm to pull her into a standing position. "Come on."

They ended up in the kitchen. The sounds of the argument carried, but at least they didn't have to see it.

* * *

Lorelei sat on the ledge of the balcony with her eyes closed, head tilted back, breathing in the crisp night air. Her arms wrapped around her middle for warmth as her jacket was still downstairs. A sound startled her eyes open, but it was only Chris, climbing through the window onto the balcony.

"You look great." He said with sympathetic eyes. "Sorry about my dad."

"Yeah well I look as good as I feel." She raised a hand to wipe under her eye.

"Next time we have this group together we'll have to frisk for weapons at the door."

"Hand out gags," Lorelei continued.

"Employe six individual cones of silence." Lorelei finally laughed. Chris circled his head to look at the wall and then over the balcony. "The old balcony is exactly the same."

"It's still beautiful away-from-them-ness, so it's perfect." She sniffled to clear her nose.

"We spent a lot of time out here." For a few minutes they simply reminisced on when they were kids and used her dad's telescope to search for aliens in the sky, and later to spy on their neighbors.

Christopher pulled out a bottle of liquor from his sport coat. "Huh, you've been holding out on me." She stretched out an arm for the bottle. Chris took a large swallow, wincing from the burn. "Take it," he said in a pained voice.

As Lorelei brought the bottle to her nose to smell, Chris continued talking. "And we are also in the immediate vicinity of the spot where Tori and Rory's conception took place."

"Yes, we are." Lorelei spoke quietly, she looked at Christopher with bright eyes. Lorelei lifted the bottle to take another sip.

"A bright spot in all the darkness." Their eyes stayed locked on each other, the intensity growing. Chris was closer to her now than he was before.

"For the record, even if you hadn't had the twins, I still wouldn't have made it through Princeton."

"Oh I don't believe that." And she really didn't. If he had wanted to do it, he could of. Their legs were touching now. Her knees grazed against his thighs, old feelings awakening as the space between them diminished.

"Well, that's why you're you and I'm me." He leaned his head down, waiting to see if she would push him away. But she didn't. Instead, she turned her head up. She wouldn't have been able to explain her own thoughts and actions, but she knew this felt right.

Chris's lips pressed against hers, gently at first and then firmer when she reciprocated the action, both needing the comfort the action provided.

* * *

"Do you ever think about it?" Rory broke the silence.

Tori could take a guess at what she was asking, but wanted to make sure they were thinking of the same thing. "About what?"

"I don't know. Everything? About what our parents did, what it meant for our family?"

"Rory, it's not our fault. It's not _your_ fault. We didn't choose to be born, we had no say in it. What was said tonight, it had nothing to do with us, it was about our parents. For the Hayden's, it's easy for them to pretend that I'm their only granddaughter because they have no relationship with you. Mom didn't let her parents see you growing up, let alone the Hayden's. They were forced to acknowledge me because I was with dad. And now, they've grown used to only having me. This dinner was too much to ask for everyone to play nice."

"I know what you're asking though," She continued, "about our parents. They were our age when the had us. They must have been terrified. I don't think I could have done what they did."

In fact, she knew she couldn't and would never take the chance. That's why she had never taken that step, even though she had been on the pill since she started high school. It was hard to forget what the consequence could be when you _were_ the consequence.

Her and Rory had never really spoken like this before. "I can hear someone coming. If you want, we can talk more about this later."

Rory nodded as the door swung open, their grandma entering. "There you two are. I was wondering where you went."

"I'm sorry." Rory said quietly, her eyes glued to the counter. She was still upset about what happened, what had been said.

Emily could probably understand the tension in Rory's voice, but she played it off nonchalantly. "It's nothing to be sorry about." She opened the fridge. "Can I get you two anything?" She asked as she turned around.

Her and Rory raised the cans of soda they were drinking. Emily rolled her eyes and turned back to the fridge. "That's hardly dinner." She shuffled a few things around in the fridge before pulling out a tupperware.

"Quite a bit of excitement tonight." She pried the lid off the container.

"Oh, yeah." Rory's voice was still small. Tori passed over the plates that had been left on the counter, content to let her sister and grandma talk.

"Not the good kind." Emily looked at Rory, who still had her head bowed. "None of this means anything Rory." Rory looked up. The plates were shuffled around the counter.

"Straub is actually a good man, very smart. He was one of the top lawyers in his field, a very arcane aspect of international law. And he's always been so active in his community and with his charity work." None of that would mean anything to Rory though, who had only met him for less than half an hour and found the whole thing unpleasant. Emily also realized this.

The plate Emily was holding was set down onto the counter. "Let's face it, he's a big ass."

That startled a laugh out of Rory.

Emily sat across from them at the island. "I know you two heard a lot of talk about various disappointments this evening, and in the past, but don't think for one second that the two of you, yourselves and your existence, have never been, not for a second, included in that list."

Rory looked up to meet their grandma's eyes before looking down again. "Do you understand me?" Emily said, eyes intent on Rory.

Finally Rory met her eyes completely, and gave a small smile. Her eyes were teary. "Yeah I do."

She turned to Tori and raised a brow. "I'm good," Tori said, raising her can of soda in a mock cheers. She knew her grandfather wasn't being fair to Rory, but he wasn't normally like that.

"Good. Now, eat up." Emily passed them the plates.

* * *

Rory and Tori followed their parents outside. There was a weird energy in air. She exchanged a glance with Tori. Tori was watching their parents with sharp eyes.

"Well that was quite an evening. Would you guys like to continue this back at the house." Mom offered. There was something awkward in the way she asked, but Rory ignored it. It had been a long night after all.

Rory turned hopeful eyes to her dad. "Sure we'll meet you there." Rory had almost forgotten that they arrived separately. Tori nodded her head in agreement.

She didn't know how her sister could be so calm throughout the night. Maybe the Hayden's were better when it was just them, but she couldn't see it. Why would her sister want to stay with the Hayden's rather than them?

Dad and Tori headed to their car, while Rory and her mom went towards the jeep. Mom held out the car keys. "You're driving."

Rory rolled her eyes but accepted the keys. Trust her mom to not want to drive after a Friday night dinner.

"Do you want to talk before we get home?"

"About what?" She turned the key to start the engine.

"About all the warm and fuzzy family moments that went on tonight are you okay?"

Rory glanced in the rearview mirror and flicked the blinker on, merging onto the highway. She took the chance to think the question over. She did feel better after talking to Tori and Grandma, but in the moment she had been very upset. "Yeah, I'm okay."

Her mom didn't look convinced though. "You know all those crazy people saying horrible things were directing them at me, and not you, or Tori."

Rory knew what her sister would say, but, "They were directing them to you because you had me, and Tori." Why couldn't everybody just let the past go? She knew she couldn't help being born, but sometimes she couldn't help feeling guilty. She had changed all the plans her grandparents had for her mom and her dad.

"No they were directing them at me because I screwed up their grand plans." Lorelei rolled her eyes as she spoke.

She focused on the road, a car speeding by her on her left. "They don't even want to know me." She said. They didn't have a problem with Tori, only with her. How did that make sense. Her chest hurt just thinking about it. This was the first time she could even remember meeting her other set of grandparents and her sister was going to be living with them.

"That is not true. They are just so full of anger and stupid pride that they can't realize what they are missing out on in not knowing you."

Rory blinked to clear her eyes, the exit for Stars Hollow approaching. "Yeah."

"It's their loss." Her mom looked her in the eyes, willing her to understand.

"Yeah, okay." She didn't want her mom to worry, so she nodded her head and gave her a small smile.

It was a quiet drive home after that, until she finally pulled into the driveway. "I'm going to straighten my room up a little before they get here." Rory said while she unlocked the door.

Her mom caught her arm before she could enter. "Hey, no regrets. From me or your dad." Rory truly smiled then. "Well, no regrets about you. Your father on the other hand had a misspelled tattoo incident I'm sure he'd like to forget."

"Are you serious? Where?" Her mom just smiled mysteriously and stepped into the house. Rory wasn't sure if she should believe her or not.

She took a second when she got into her room to collect herself. It was hard to believe this night was real. She took a deep breath and then set into action, fussing the covers of her bed to straighten them. She picked up a stray book on her nightstand and moved it to her bookshelf. Trailing her fingers over the spines of the books, she paused when she reached one of the picture frames she had on the shelf.

It was a picture of her and Tori when they were young, maybe seven or eight. They had their arms wrapped around each other, faces pressed together. Tori held two fingers up behind her head, giving her bunny ears. Rory rubbed a finger across her sisters frozen face. She missed when they were young, when everything was simpler, and they saw each other more.

She wanted to be closer to her sister. They were close in a sense, but tonight was the first time they had talked seriously in a while. Her and her sister were so different now, but they were still twins. With her sister closer and going to the same school, she was determined for them to really be sisters and friends.

A knock on the door sounded before it opened. "Hey, we're here." Her dad said. Rory quickly changed out of her dinner clothes and into pajama pants and a sweatshirt as her mom greeted them.

Rory stepped out of her room at the same time as they reached the kitchen. Tori was holding a carrier with four take away cups. "We figured you guys could use some coffee." She said as she placed the carrier down on the table. She pulled one of the cups out of its place and held it out to Rory.

She took the cup with a smile to her sister. "Thanks."

"Okay I _have_ to change out of this dress, right this second. Do you mind if I use your room?"

"Of course not, go ahead." Tori bumped her shoulder as she walked past, making her laugh.

There was a silence in the kitchen when Tori left as her parents avoided looking directly at each other. Weird. "So, what should we do tonight."

"How about a movie? Take the chance to relax after the evening we had." That was probably the best plan for the night. Tori came back in that moment, wearing a pair of sleep shorts and a t-shirt.

Tori ran her hands through her hair, and then stretched her arms out as she yawned. The movement raised her shirt over her midriff and Rory's eyes were drawn to a flash of silver.

Her mom must have caught the same thing because she asked, eyebrows raised, "Is that a belly button ring?"

"Yeah, it's pretty recent." Tori replied casually. "Is this the time I should mention I have a tattoo?"

"No she doesn't!" Chris jumped in, cutting panicked eyes to Lorelei. Her mom had looked like she was going to have a heart attack. Rory wasn't far behind. Rory couldn't imagine getting her belly button pierced, let alone a tattoo.

Tori laughed, clutching her stomach. "No I don't have a tattoo, I just wanted to see your reaction."

"You're gonna get me in trouble." Her dad pushed Tori's shoulder.

"Come on, that was funny." Rory laughed too, because it actually was. She could see her mom starting to smile.

"Let's head into the living room and find something to watch."

Tori reached over to grab the last cup on the table. Rory could see it was marked 'HC' for hot chocolate. They trooped into the living room. Her parents sat on either end of the couch, and she and Tori decided to sit on the floor.

Her mom lazily flipped through the channels, before deciding on late night shows. As Rory perused through one of her school books to prepare for the upcoming week, she relished in the feeling of her family being together.

* * *

Tori lay next to Rory in the morning, listening to her parents argue. Rory was still sleeping peacefully but Tori was a fairly light sleeper. She had heard when Lorelei left that morning, and she heard when she returned, her dad already having gotten up and started the coffee.

On the ride home yesterday she asked her dad what had happened between him and mom while they were in the kitchen. She had an idea of what happened given the state of their clothes and the twig stuck in her mom's hair. He told her the truth. Her and her dad didn't lie to each other. It was what made their relationship so great.

She didn't know how she felt about it, her parents. It had been so long since she had even considered the idea of her parents being together. She knew her sister wanted them to be together. She wanted her dad to be happy.

Her mom was freaking out about what happened last night. Grandpa almost punching grandfather, and then whatever happened between Mom and Grandpa, and finally Mom and Dad. She made that seem like the worst thing that could have ever happened. She also apparently stood up Luke on painting the diner. But then she heard something that made her heart stop.

"I want to marry you."

_Oh Dad_. He said it half jokingly, half serious. Her dad had never completely gotten over Lorelei. She didn't understand, but he was her dad and she felt for him. She knew that Lorelei wasn't going to say yes, right now.

Next to her, Rory shifted and Tori realized she was either awake or would be soon. She closed her eyes to feign sleep. Side by side they listened to the fall out of the argument.

"Your right." She could hear him sigh as they reached the end of the conversation. "I'm sorry. It's just, having us all together. It got into my head."

After a few seconds of silence, her and Rory turned their heads at the same time to look at each other. In agreement, they got up from the bed. They stood before the door for a moment before Rory opened the door and they stepped into the kitchen.

* * *

Rory and Lorelei walked Chris and Tori out to their car. It had been a quiet breakfast. Tori had asked questions about Chilton and the people who went there, and Rory was happy to talk, telling her all about the school, Paris, Tristan, and everything that came to mind. Monday was coming fast and they would soon be going to the same school.

Rory stood next to Chris. "Call us when you get home."

"I will," he said, placing his and Tori's bags in the back of the car.

"And call more often."

"I will." He held his arms out for a hug, and Rory went easily, squeezing tight around his middle. She wished she saw him more often, and maybe she would.

Tori stood with their mom as Rory said goodbye. As Chris pulled away from the hug, he whispered into Rory's ear. She turned to her mom to repeat what he said.

"Dad wants to know if you'll reconsider."

Mom turned to whisper into Tori's ear, and then Tori said out loud, "Nope. Offspring sucks and Metallica rules."

Chris nodded at the expected answer. "Okay, well, we better get going. It was good seeing you two. I'll call soon." He slid into the driver's seat as Tori said goodbye.

"Don't worry, you two will be seeing a lot of me." Tori hugged Lorelei goodbye. "Rory, if I don't talk to you tomorrow I'll see you at school on Monday." Rory couldn't keep the excited smile off her face.

Chris and Tori pulled out of the driveway with a final wave.

Watching the car drive off, Rory spoke without looking at her mom. "He wanted you to marry him, didn't he?"

"Don't spy." Lorelei muttered.

"You know, crazier things have happened."

"Crazier than having your mom and dad married? I don't think they have."

Why couldn't her mom see that they could all be together again? They could be a family.

"It wouldn't work Rory. Not right now. Me and your dad don't know each other right now, not like we would have to, to get married. It wouldn't work. He was asking for things he wasn't ready for. And even if we aren't together all the time, we are still a family.

"Maybe he can change."

"Rory." Mom spoke in a soft tone.

But Rory couldn't stop. "Maybe it's different this time, he's never really came here before and he did this time."

Her mom looked away. "Rory, stop."

"He loves you. Do you love him?" She pressed on. Her mom turned her head. "Rory, come on."

"Answer me." She grabbed her mom's hand.

"Honestly?" Mom said.

"Yes."

"I will probably always love him." Rory's heart lifted with hope. "But that isn't enough. Loving someone and being _in_ love with someone are two different things. And sometimes love isn't enough for a marriage. It wouldn't be right, not now."

She couldn't understand how love couldn't be enough, but didn't want to keep arguing with her mom right now. Her mom's mind wouldn't be changed at this moment, but she still held out hope. Things were changing.

* * *

**12/27/19. WC: 8,200+**

**A/N: Happy Holidays! Thank you to everyone who has followed and reviewed, I really appreciate it. This chapter gets deeper into the story now. I'm really interested in the family dynamics between the characters and I'm looking forward to writing more. **

**I don't want this story to be a canon rewrite, so I'm going to try my best to stay away from that, and see how a change (in this case, a new character) might affect the story. In the beginning it might follow canon more closely than in later seasons. **

**I love Gilmore Girls. I wouldn't be writing this if I didn't. That said, after watching it a few times, you start to notice some of the character flaws, which give them dimension. So in this story, I want to explore some of these flaws. I don't want it to be taken as bashing because I also love these characters, but I will be trying to match feelings to the POV I'm writing in, so sometimes the characters may come off in a worse perspective than they were portrayed in the show. Just something to keep in mind because I am also learning as I go, and I really don't want this story to come off as bashing because of the different viewpoints expressed by the characters. **

**I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Please review, and follow if you'd like to read more! **


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